Character mistake: Nick states that Wall Street was originally a wall (correct) built to defend against the British (incorrect). The original wall was a wooden palisade built in the 16th Century to defend the Dutch colonists against invading natives and to prevent livestock from wandering uptown.
Character mistake: At the gala, Ben describes to Abigail how the Founding Fathers would have been hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered, and had their entrails burned had they lost the war. However, only hanging and beheading were acceptable practices in Britain at the time; Ben's information is off by several decades.
Character mistake: When Ben, Riley, and Abigail are in Independence Hall in Philadelphia and roll out the Declaration of Independence to inspect with Ben Franklin's special "ocular device" that Ben had just found, Ben pauses to take in the moment. When asked what was the matter, Ben says "It's just that...the last time this was here (in Independence Hall)...It was being signed." However, according to archives.gov, "In 1876 the Declaration traveled to Philadelphia, where it was on exhibit for the Centennial National Exposition from May to October. Philadelphia's Mayor William S. Stokley was entrusted by President Ulysses S. Grant with temporary custody of the Declaration. The Public Ledger for May 8, 1876, noted that it was in Independence Hall "framed and glazed for protection, and... Deposited in a fireproof safe especially designed for both preservation and convenient display." Sorry Ben.
Character mistake: After cracking the clue of Silent Dogood letters, while leaving the shopping mall, Riley asks Ben and Abigail, "Who was the first to propose daylight saving time?". They reply "Benjamin Franklin". But, it was George Vernon Hudson in 1895.
Answer: He doesn't simply assume "Beneath Parkington Lane" means beneath the church: Parkington Lane is the name etched on the tomb hiding the entrance to the tunnels. When he saw it, he naturally deduced what he had to do.
Sereenie